Health Specialist

How Do You Fit Pointe Shoes Properly?

Having pointe shoes that fit well can make all the difference in you loving or hating pointe work, so it is important to get it right from the beginning. Ill fitting shoes can result in not only pain and discomfort while dancing, but also black toenails, blisters and stress fractures in the toes.

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How to improve your flexibility safely in to the splits.

Dancers are constantly striving for perfection and are as a result always trying to improve their flexibility. To improve flexibility stretching should be effective, efficient and safe. Lisa Howell offers some helpful hints and her own stretch programme to improve flexibility into the splits.

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Pointe vs. Weight. How heavy is too heavy to be dancing en pointe?

It is possible that a dancer who is slightly heavier does has enough strength to hold their weight en pointe, however how heavy is too heavy to dance en pointe? This article, from Lisa Howell, discusses the issue of pointe work with heavier girls and offers some suggestion to a sensible diet and exercise programme to maintain whilst dancing.

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Ballet Can Avoid Common Foot Injuries

Many of the common foot injuries sustained by ballet dancers can be prevented, and treated, by the application of some basic knowledge about the structure of muscles in the feet. Specific strengthening of the different muscles can make a huge difference to a career in ballet, or any other dance discipline. This article discusses the causes and treatment of common dancers foot injuries.

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How to Treat Achilles Tendon Injuries in a dancer

Problems in the Achilles tendon are common in dancers and it is a generally poorly understood injury in many dance circles. Lisa Howell in this article summarises the key steps to a successful rehabilitation programme, focusing on an eccentric loading principle. Predisposing factors to Achilles tendonopathy and advice about returning back to dancing are also mentioned. It is important to note that information given in this article is generalised in nature and must not be used to diagnose or tre

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